"Renaissance" | ||||
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Single by M People | ||||
from the album Elegant Slumming | ||||
B-side | "Remixes" | |||
Released | 28 February 1994 | |||
Format |
7" single, 12" maxi CD single, cassette |
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Genre | House | |||
Length | 3:57 | |||
Label | Deconstruction | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Pickering, Paul Heard | |||
Producer(s) | M People | |||
M People singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Renaissance" on YouTube |
"Renaissance" is a song by British electronic group M People. It was released in February 1994 as the fourth and final single from their second album Elegant Slumming. In Australia, "Renaissance" was released as the third single from the album. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard and produced by M People. The song peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart following their first win for Best British Dance Act at the 1994 BRIT Awards.
At the time of "Renaissance"'s release they were touring the second leg of their 15-date Elegant Slumming UK Tour and riding the height of their musical fortunes with their double platinum album. "How Can I Love You More (Mixes)", "One Night in Heaven", "Moving on Up" and "Don't Look Any Further" had already provided them with four consecutive singles and this became their fifth.
The song features pounding italo-piano chords and is laden with synths alongside an insistent bassline and classic house beat. Lyrically, it is in total contrast to the angry "breaking free" sung in "Moving on Up" to looking forward to coming home to one glorious night when singer Heather Small promises to "make you scream aloud with joy" – but "there'll be no day there'll be no night".
Out of the nine M People previous single releases at that point, this single was only the second to chart and peak in its first week (the only other single to do so at that point was predecessor "Don't Look Any Further"). "Renaissance" entered the chart and peaked in its first week at number 5 with sales of 89,000 copies in its first week, but made a steady descent out of the chart within seven weeks. When "Renaissance" left the chart, it had sold in total 179,000 copies. In the two weeks prior to "Renaissance"'s release, Elegant Slumming climbed back into the Top Ten at eight climbing to six once the song had been released, then rising further once again to peak at number four weeks later. For the second time, M People recorded simultaneous single and album Top 10s for two weeks, being at numbers 5 and 6, respectively and the at 6 and 5, respectively the week after in March 1994. "Renaissance" was also used as the theme tune to the BBC2 show "The Living Soap" which helped the single sales.